Building a Glued Lapstrake Rangeley Lake Boat

Page 11: Decks and Sternsheets

Forward quarter

We were originally going to make the decks out of 3mm plywood, but instead decided to use solid mahogany in order to be able to fair the decks a bit without worrying about cutting through the top veneer of the plywood. So they are strip planked, and will finish a little under 1/8" thick.

The forward deck is mostly faired, and we planked the aft one today and roughed it out with a plane.

The stern seat

The stern seat is fitted, and after we trim the deck edge we can make the backrest. Although properly called the "sternsheets", this is more of a throne. A rowboat with a backrest seems like a real luxury.

Thwart Knee

The plans show an iron rod "knee" to tie the gunwales to the aft thwart. Obviously a freshwater boat. We laminated a pair for each thwart. The knees don't weigh much, and add a whole lot of strength to the boat. And they look nice, too.